It is uncomfortable to sit in tube frame lawn chairs for long periods, because typically there is no headrest provided. If one leans one's head back against the horizontal top tube of the frame of the chair this soon becomes painful. The frame normally is hard metal and is so relatively thin that a hard edge (albeit a rounded one) contacts the skull or neck at an uncomfortably focused pressure point or line. While the laced web of the chair does cover the top tube, typically it is very thin, and is comfortably resilient only in those areas where it is suspended off of the frame.
Prior developments in this field may be generally illustrated by reference to the following information disclosure statement:
______________________________________ U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS U.S. Pat. No. Patentee Issue Date ______________________________________ 4,109,887 W. Wakeland Aug. 29, 1978 4,554,039 M. James Nov. 19, 1985 4,773,707 P. Vadala Sep. 27, 1988 3,046,057 F. Smetko Jul. 24, 1962 5,048,892 M. Ledbetter Sep. 17, 1991 5,281,000 R. Ackley Jan. 25, 1994 2,983,310 W. Warlick et al. May 9, 1961 4,165,125 H. Owen Aug. 21, 1979 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,892 teaches attachable cushions--for lawn chairs. Foam tube members are shown therein, as well as inflatable ones. FIG. 2 shows foam members snapped on the frame tubes of the lawn chair. One is shown as a foot rest and the patent also speaks of S using them for the head. Wide, open gaps for entry of frame members allow easy installation of the devices, but may fail to provide them with secure attachment.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,109,887 and 4,554,039 teach C-shaped cushions for bed rails. Patents 3,046,057, 4,165,125, and 4,773,707 teach headrest attachments for chairs that fit over the top of a chair and are made of foam. The rest of the patents are representative of what was found in a search of the art.
Of course, pillows become soiled over time, which is why pillowcases have been developed for conventional lozenge-shaped pillows. Because of the particular shape of a snap-on tube pillow, the conventional pillowcase is unsuitable. While a number of patents disclose foam tubes covered by fabric, none disclose a method of using a tube of fabric which does not need to be glued in place on the pillow, and, hence, remains interchangeable. It is especially important to be able to change the covers of such pillows, which will be used for sunbathing and other outdoor activities--wherein body oils and environmental dirt will quickly accumulate.
Another reason for interchangeable covers on pillows, which currently is missing from the snap-on pillow art, is that interchangeability allows for the application of individual taste and sensibility in the selection of a cover, not to mention the ability to alter the appearance of the cover to match the occasion. For example, it would be convenient if a user could have two or more covers for a single pillow--one having the logo of the user's favorite baseball team, one with a football logo, and so on. As is common practice in the T-shirt industry, covers could bear travel, political, humorous and other types of messages, as well as advertising material.
Furthermore, the art does not teach a tether for keeping a snap-on headrest in place--for example, while the chair is being transported. Such a tether would also render the device more resistant to petty theft or loss.